Tag: Writing
-
2024 in Books
After the longest and most intense reading drought of my life, 2024 was a record-breaking year for me. I consumed books as if my life depended on it. And in many ways, it did. Okay, so context. My mental health imploded somewhere during the pandemic. The last book I read (that wasn’t a storytime book…
-
Hello 2025
It’s been a hot minute, hasn’t it? The past holiday season was one of the busiest of my life. On the eighteenth of December (aaand the nineteenth and the twentieth), we moved from Calgary to Cochrane, a sweet town about half an hour’s drive outside the city. This move has been a dream for us,…
-
First Listen – A Curse of Venom & Scales Playlist
The plague has once again descended on my house, and while we’ve all been Covid-ridden, I haven’t been in the mood to do much of anything. As always, though, music (and the odd audiobook) perked me up. And that made me think of the playlist I created while writing A Curse of Venom & Scales.…
-
Let’s Write – Sequels
I’ve finished A Curse of Venom & Scales!! Okay. Because I schedule most of my content, I’m a tad late in sharing the news. I officially finished the manuscript on the 23rd of August. I’m so late, in fact, that the first beta readers have given me their feedback, and others are progressing swiftly on…
-
My Least Favourite Trope: Resurrection
Friends, this was a close race. Just as I have a long list of adored tropes, the ones I don’t like are myriad. I don’t read Dubcon and I hate Born Sexy Yesterday. But the most commonly recurring trope that has the power to ruin a book or series for me until the end of…
-
How To Implement Feedback
Welcome back to this accidental mini-series on beta reading feedback, reviews, and handling said feedback. The past four weeks have really been one of Bob Ross’s happy little accidents. We talked about: Today, we’ll chat about implementing feedback. How do we dissect our beta readers or editors’ comments, figure out what they mean, and find…
-
How To Handle Negative Feedback
Over the last two weeks, we discussed How To Review a Book, and How To Be a Great Beta Reader. Let’s chat about handling negative feedback today. This can be in the form of a poor review or comments from beta readers. Now, we’re all human here. There will always be that bit of feedback…
-
How to Review a Book
Why review? A single review can make a huge difference, especially for indie authors. For one, reviews spread the word. They connect like-minded readers with authors they might not hear about through any other avenue. Reviews also make books seem alive—if someone is reviewing, that means someone is reading. But reviews also inspire. When impostor…
-
How To Be a Great Beta Reader
Being chosen as a beta reader is awesome. Not only do we get an early peek into upcoming novels, but we also have the unique opportunity to help authors polish their works into something epic. But beta reading can also be daunting, especially during the early days. So, let’s talk about the ins and outs…
-
Freebie – Novel Planning Pages
I’ve been working on a little something on the side, and though it’s nowhere near ready to share publicly, I’m stoked with the progress. So, of course, I couldn’t wait to share a sneak peek with you! I want to offer you these free downloadable planning pages. Two pages are layouts for daily planning, set…
Yolandie Horak 